Railway-switch



.mmdel') J. P.I HENDRIKSON.

RAILWAYUSWITGH.

Patented Oct. 31, 1893.

DDD mi# n n o u n Mdm/SK65 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN F.AHENDRIKSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 507,616, dated October 31, 1893.

Application tiled March 15, 1893. Serial No. 466,014. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. HENDRIKsON. of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Railway-Switches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciicatiomlike letters on the drawings representing like parts..

My invention relates to a switch especially intended for use in street railways the ob ject being to provide a switch and actuating mechanism therefor that can be operated from the platform of the approaching car.

`Theswitch proper may be the usual pivoted tongue such as commonly employed in street railways, and at each side of the track approaching the point of the switch are arranged pivoted levers or treadles the upper surface of which is preferably just outside of and slightly below the top of the rail. The said treadles or switch levers oscillate in a vertical plane and engage by a cam or incline with another lever pivoted on a vertical axis to turn in a horizontal plane, or toward and from the side of the rail.

The lever on the side of the track at which the switch point operates is provided with a projection working through an opening in the web of 'the rail so as to engage the pivoted switch tongue near its point and the corresponding lever at the other side of the track engages with one end of a rod or push bar extending across between the rails ofthe track and into engagement with the switch tongue at the opposite side thereof from the lever first mentioned. Thus the downward movement of either one of the treadle levers produces a corresponding inward movement of the end of the corresponding horizontal lever which engages directly or indirectly through the rod with the switch tongue and throws the point of the tongue away from the side at which the treadle was depressed.

The cross rod or connection is preferably made yielding to avoid breakage of the parts if there should be any obstruction.

The car is provided at both ends, or at the forward endonly if it is intended to always run in one direction, with two treadle dcpressers arranged in advance of the wheels of the car and normally held above the road surface but adapted to be depressed by a suitable handle or foot piece on the car platform so that as the car advances they will bear upon the surface of the treadle lever to depress the same and thus operate the switch.

Figure l is a plan view partly in section and with portions of the inclosing covers removed of a switch apparatus embodying this invention; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof showing also the car with one of the treadle depressers in position to operate the corresponding treadle; Fig. 3 a vertical section on broken line 003, Fig. l, on a larger scale, and Figs. 4 and 5 sectional details of a modiiied construction.

The apparatus is applicable to a track A of any usual construction, and comprises a switch point proper a which may be the usual l tongue or point pivoted at a2 where the lines of the track diverge. At each side of the track A leading to the Switchpoint a a treadle or lever b is pivotally connected at h2 with the web of the rail or any other convenient support, said lever being mainly inclosed in a cover B but having a tread portion b3 which is exposed through'an opening in said cover and lies at the outside of the adjacent rail A preferably standing normally in a slightly inclined position with the-highest part at or slightly below the level of the top of the rail as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2. The free end of the treadle lever may thus swing in a vertical plane at the side of the rail and it is restrained frorn lateral movement away from the rail by a bracket or guide c which may be bolted to the rail or otherwise fastened in proper position with relation thereto, the rail together with the said bracket resisting lateral thrust in either direction on the free end of the lever b. The extremity b4 of each of the treadle levers h, is inclined to the ver. tical as best shown at the right hand side in Fig. 3, and enters a correspondingly inclined slot in the end of a switch actuating lever d turning on a vertical pivot or fulcrum at d2. The lever cl on the same side of the track as the switch tongue a is provided with a lateral projection d3 extending through an opening in the web of the rail A or of the switch casting so as to bear against the side of the switch tongue a as clearly shown in Figs. l and 3. The end do, of the lever at the other side of the track is connected with or bears against a rod or push-bar c extending through a hole in the web of the rail and across the tracks IOC end of the said lever CZ to be thrown inward toward the side of the switch tongue a and by engagement therewith to turn the latter on its pivot, throwing the point of the switch away from the side of the track at which the treadle was depressed.

Thetreadle levers b are normally retained in elevated position, by springs b5 acting thereon `as best shownin Fig. 2, and thus normally `retain the horizontal levers d retracted, with Atheprojection d3 and the rod e out of engagement with the sides of the switch tongue which is thusfree to turn in either direction in the lusual way or :bywhichever one of said levers .isloperaterh if the switch tongue is not already in proper position upon the approach of thecar. The switch may thus be thrown if required by an operator on the approaching car Vcausing oneor the other of the treadle leversto be depressed, and inorder to facilitate thisfoperation `the car is `provided with treadle depressers, one at each side, consisting essentially of a wheel or roller g supported atrthe-endof an arm 71J on a rock shaft 1l provided with a `pulley to which is connected a `cord or 4chain 7c extending'toa pulleym underzthe front of the platform provided with an operating rod m2 extending-up through the platform and havinga suitable `foot piece m3 above `the platform to be engaged and depressed by the foot of the attendant in charge of the-car.

A spring 'is tends to raise the treadle depresser andlnormally holds-it at some distance abovetherroad bed but when the attendant depresses :the corresponding knob m3the depresser .is `lowered so that the wheel g `runs alongthe road bedin proper position to engagewith the `inclined portion haof the treadlerandldepress the latter. The wheel g has a portion g2of smaller diameter properly located to engage with the track rail A whi1e the .portionof the wheel of larger diameter outside the track rail extends below the level thereof and thus operates-.properly to depress theltreadle leverb. The wheel or treadle depresscr g is thus held down to its work bythe pressure applied to the knob m3 by the `attendant, and if `the wheel of the `depresser should meet any obstruction on the track, or if thereshould .be anypositive obstruction to the movement of the switch or parts that act directly thereon, the wheel of the depresser would `:be caused to yield and no breakage of the working parts would take place.

The rod e is preferably made in two parts telescopically connected together as shown at e3 Figs. 1 and 3, and acted upon by a spring e4 which tends to separate the two parts and retain the rod at its normal length, the said spring being stijf enough to overcome any normal resistance to the movement of the switch tongue but yielding in case there is any obstruction that might otherwise cause a breakage to the parts.

The yielding or telescopic joint may be at the point where the rod e connects with the end cl3", of the lever as shown in Fig. 5, 1nstead of in the rod itself, and the projection d3 of the lever on theside of the track adjacent to the switch tongue may also have a yielding, sliding, or telescopic connection with the corresponding lever as shown in Fig. 4.

.In the construction shownin Figs. 4 and 5, the spring e30, contained inafsuitable recess or spring chamber `in the lever performs the same function and operates in the same way as the spring e3 shown in Figs. l and 3.

The herein described mechanism is simple and at the same time very strong and durable and is well protected from the entrance of material from the road surface that would be likely to interfere with the proper operation.

I claiml. The combinationof the'movableswitch with vertically movable treadles pivoted one at one side and the other at the otherside of the track and adapted to be operated `from the car approaching the switch, horizontally movable levers actuated by rthe said treadle levers, and acting one against one Vand the other against `the other-.side of said movable switch, substantially as described.

2. The combination-of the movable switch with vertically movable treadle levers oneat each-side of the track, horizontal leversoperatively connected therewith,one of which `is adaptedto engage directly with oneside -of the switch, and a rod or push bar extending from the other lever across .the track tto the other side of said switch, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination of the 'movable -switch with vertically movable treadle `leversone-at each side of :the track,'horizontal .leversloperatively connected therewith, one of `which is provided with a projection to engage with one side of the switch, and the rod or pushbar extending from the other lever across the track to the other side of said switch and a yielding connection between the lever `and the switch engaging portion, substantiallfyas described.

In testimony whereof `I have `signed my name to thisspecification in the `presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN F. HENDRIKSGN.

Witnesses:

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL.

IOO 

